72 NJ Restaurants Earn 2021 Wine Spectator Awards

NEW JERSEY — Coronavirus has brought unique and unprecedented challenges to restaurants in New Jersey. Despite the hardships, several were still able to shine in the last year, earning a 2021 Restaurant Award from Wine Spectator magazine.

The annual Restaurant Awards honor excellence in restaurant wine lists, as well as those who have demonstrated passion and devoted extensive resources to creating outstanding wine programs. This year’s awards are featured in the Aug. 31 issue of Wine Spectator.

The list typically gives us a generous glimpse at the best spots in New Jersey. This year, 72 restaurants in the Garden State earned a nod from Wine Spectator.

More than 2,900 restaurants in 50 states and 72 countries and territories earned awards this year. The awards are given across three categories: Award of Excellence, Best of Award of Excellence, and Grand Award.

The Grand Award is Wine Spectator’s most prestigious honor, given to the world’s most elite wine programs. Read profiles of all 100 current Grand Award winners,

Typically, recipients of the Grand Award offer at least 1,000 or more wine selections, showcasing “immense depth and breadth of regions, producers, vintages and bottle formats.” All Grand Award winners must also pass a rigorous inspection of their restaurants, including the wine cellars.

Three new restaurants won the Grand Award this year: Brennan's in New Orleans, Le Bernardin in New York, and SingleThread Farms in Healdsburg, California.

Here are the Grand Award Winners from New Jersey:

The Pluckemin Inn, Bedminster, NJ
Set in a restored 18th-century farmhouse about an hour’s drive from Manhattan, the Pluckemin Inn pairs a locally-driven American menu with a list of wine labels that span the globe.

Restaurant Latour, Hamburg, NJ
Just over an hour’s drive from New York City, in the scenic Crystal Springs Resort, Restaurant Latour is named after the owner’s favorite Bordeaux estate. Naturally, the highlight of the wine list is a 26-vintage Latour vertical back to 1888.

Check out the other restaurants in New Jersey that earned nods for excellence this year:

• Restaurant Latour, Crystal Springs Resort, 1 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg, New Jersey
• The Pluckemin Inn, 359 Route 206 S., Bedminster, New Jersey
• Angeline by Michael Symon, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Berta's Chateau, 7 Grove St., Wanaque, New Jersey
• Bobby Flay Steak, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Caffe Aldo Lamberti, 2011 Route 70 W., Cherry Hill, New Jersey
• Catherine Lombardi, 3 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, New Jersey
• Court Street Restaurant & Bar, 61 Sixth St., Hoboken, New Jersey
• Elements, 66 Witherspoon St., Princeton, New Jersey
• Il Capriccio Ristorante, 633 Route 10 E., Whippany, New Jersey
• Jockey Hollow Bar and Kitchen, 110 South St. Morristown, New Jersey
• Knife and Fork Inn, 3600 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, New Jersey
• La Griglia Seafood Grill & Wine Bar, 740 Kenilworth Blvd., Kenilworth, New Jersey
• Old Homestead Steak House, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Stage Left Steak, 5 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, New Jersey
• The Capital Grille, 2000 Route 38, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
• The Frog and the Peach, 29 Dennis St., New Brunswick, New Jersey
• Undici Taverna Rustica, 11 W. River Road, Rumson, New Jersey
• Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse, Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino, Brigantine Blvd., Atlantic City
• Washington Inn, 801 Washington St., Cape May, New Jersey
• Water & Wine Ristorante-Taverna, 141 Stirling Road, Watchung, New Jersey
• Windrift, Windrift Hotel Resort, 105 80th St., Avalon, New Jersey
• 618, 618 Park Ave., Freehold , New Jersey
• American Cut, Ocean Casino Resort, 500 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Bacari Grill, 800 Ridgewood Road, Washington Township, New Jersey
• Battello, 502 Washington Blvd. Jersey City, New Jersey
• Birravino, 183 Riverside Ave., Red Bank, New Jersey
• Cafe Chameleon, 60 Main St.,Bloomingdale, New Jersey
• Café Madison, 33 Lafayette St., Riverside, New Jersey
• Capriccio, Resorts Hotel and Casino, 1133 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Council Oak Steaks & Seafood, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Deccan Spice, 153 Wood Ave., Edison, New Jersey
• Del Frisco's Grille, 221 River St., Hoboken, New Jersey
• Dock's Oyster House, 2405 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Dolce Mare, Ocean Casino Resort, 500 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Esty Street, 86 Spring Valley Road, Park Ridge, New Jersey
• Felina Restaurant, 54 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, New Jersey
• Gordon Ramsay Steak, Harrah's Atlantic City, 777 Harrahs Blvd., Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Guy Fieri's Chophouse, Bally's Atlantic City, 1900 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Haven Riverfront Restaurant, 2 Main St., Suite G, Edgewater, New Jersey
• Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern, 1 E. Franklin Turnpike, Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey
• Hunan Taste, 67 Bloomfield Ave., Denville, New Jersey
• Izakaya, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Martorano's, Harrahs Atlantic City, 777 Harrahs Blvd., Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Molos Restaurant, 1 Pershing Road, Weehawken, New Jersey
• Morton's, The Steakhouse, Caesars Atlantic City, 2100 Pacific Ave., Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Morton's, The Steakhouse, 274 Riverside Square, Hackensack, New Jersey
• Nero's Grille, 618 S. Livingston Ave., Livingston, New Jersey
• Nero's Italian Steakhouse, Caesars Atlantic City, 2100 Pacific Ave., Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Oceanos Oyster Bar & Sea Grill, 2-27 Saddle River Road, Fair Lawn, New Jersey
• Rails Steakhouse, 10 Whitehall Road, Towaco, New Jersey
• Rio Station, 3505 Route 9 S., Rio Grande, New Jersey
• River Palm Terrace, 1416 River Road, Edgewater, New Jersey
• Rod's Steak & Seafood Grille, The Madison Hotel1 Convent Rd, Morristown, New Jersey
• Rooney's Oceanfront Restaurant, 100 Ocean Ave. N., Long Branch, New Jersey
• Ruth's Chris Steak House, 2020 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Seasons 52, 410 Commons Way, Bridgwater, New Jersey
• Seasons 52, 2000 Route 38, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
• Seasons 52, 217 Lafayette Road, Edison, New Jersey
• Seasons 52, 3535 US Highway 1, Princeton, New Jersey
• Son Cubano, 40-4 Riverwalk Place, West New York, New Jersey
• Sorellina Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, 1036 Washington St., Hoboken, New Jersey
• Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas, Clifton Commons, 70 Kingsland Rd., Clifton, New Jersey
• The Capital Grille, 1 Garden State Plaza, Paramus, New Jersey
• The Chophouse, 4 Lakeview Drive S., Gibbsboro, New Jersey
• The Clinton House, 2 W. Main St., Clinton, New Jersey
• The Oceanaire Seafood Room, 175 Riverside Square, Hackensack, New Jersey
• The Palm Atlantic City, Tropicana Casino & Resort, 2801 Pacific Ave., Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Town Bar + Kitchen, 80 Elm St., Morristown, New Jersey
• Ventanas Restaurant & Lounge, 200 Park Ave., Fort Lee, New Jersey
• Witherspoon Grill, 57 Witherspoon St., Princeton, New Jersey

See all winners of this year’s Wine Spectator awards.